Challenges of Knowledge Loss: A Case Study in an Information Organization

Knowledge loss is one of the major risks for organizations. It remains a primary reason for them to establish and maintain a knowledge management (KM) program to mitigate such risks. Ironically, despite the widely accepted conjecture that public libraries are experts in managing human knowledge, far too few have implemented any systemic KM initiatives. What may a public library experience when dealing with knowledge loss? How can KM help? Would artificial intelligence play a role in such contexts? This chapter reports on a pilot study of an ongoing research project to address these questions. In a case study format, it provides three critical incidents as empirical evidence to demonstrate how public library branches in the southern US have weathered challenges of knowledge loss. It also calls for building systemic KM programs in various information organizations to make them exemplars in managing human knowledge.